Phantomhive Manor Panic
by me.no.know
Summary: A strange occurence sends the members of the Ouran High School Host Club back in time to the Victorian period in England where they meet the Black Butler.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own neither The Ouran High School Host Club, Kuroshitsuji, or any of the characters from either series. _

1800s England, Phantomhive Manor

"Young Master, your mail is in."

Another day in the Phantomhive Manor. The gardener was busy in the front yard eliminating the weeds (as well as the plants), the maid was busy cleaning up a mess of broken china (broken due to her own clumsiness), and the chef was (attempting) to conjure up that afternoon's lunch. Your typical day in this household.

The butler sighed, taking notice of the chaotic scene before him. Their "helping" really was just added work to his load. Well, those were matters to tend to later. He shook his head proceeding to read the Earl his letters.

"Lord Sheffield has sent a formal invitation requesting the Young Master's attendance to his marriage ceremony."

"Reply telling him I am unable to attend." said Ciel not bothering to stop walking, assuming Sebastian would follow.

Sebastian did as was expected and continued. "Sir Erickson invites you to accompany he and his wife to the opera this Thursday."

"Decline that, too."

"Very well, Lady Elizabeth has written also. She says that she misses you and wishes that you would allow her to visit."

"Is that it?" asked Ciel beginning his descent down the staircase. "I would have expected something much longer and more tiresome to read."

"Well most of the seven pages was mainly her imploring you to actually respond this time." said Sebastian with a pleasant smile.

The boy scowled. "How bothersome."

"Will you reply to her soon?"

"No. You write back to her. Tell her I'm busy."

"That's rather rude. Do you not think it a good idea to, if not the others, see her at least? And if not, do you not think it a better idea for a gentleman to write back to his fiancé in his own hand?"

"You know I do not wish to be bothered with any of this right now." Ciel answered angrily. "You of all people should know how hectic things have been around here as of late."

Sebastian voiced his agreement. About a month and a half ago, there had been a rumored terroristic plot against London. Naturally, the Queen had asked Ciel to sniff around, find out what he could, and, if possible, put a halt to the threatening activity. They had been successful in thwarting the conspiracy; however, it had taken longer than either had anticipated due to a couple of false leads and wild-goose chases they had encountered at the beginning of their mission. The two had only just returned to the mansion roughly a week ago . . . Or what was left of it.

Ciel had ordered the other servants to go on vacation _away _from the mansion for the duration of the time they would be away, since they neither wanted to bring them along nor leave them at home unattended. The plan had worked well, that is, until Sebastian had decided to write giving them advanced notice that he and the Master would be returning, in doing so he had figured that they would have time to begin the journey home also, and that they would arrive about the same time. _About_ being the keyword in his reasoning. The others had ended up arriving approximately five minutes before Sebastian and Ciel, and, well, that was all it took. Neither had had a moment to rest upon returning. Sebastian had begun straightaway; doing what he could to restore the manor to its original state, and Ciel had been bombarded with work and had spent the past week catching up with his company's affairs.

"I'm sure the Young Master is tired." stated Sebastian in an almost empathetic manner as he thought of his own workload.

Ciel nodded. "I haven't had a moment's rest upon returning home. Even then, I am not even half way through the paperwork on the damages done while we were gone. How they managed to send four shipments all to the wrong stores, I still don't understand . . ."

_Knock Knock Knock_

Sebastian left his master's side to answer the door, though the boy didn't seem to notice as he continued his rant.

"Its almost incomparable how so much had managed to go wrong in less than two months time with the Funtom Company. Even if I wanted to, I have no time to entertain Lizzie, or anyone else for that matter. I cannot afford any foolish interruptions that could further hinder my work."

"CIEEEL!"

The Young Master did not even have the time to see who had called him before he had been tackled to the ground in a bear-like hug.

"Hey, get off!" He struggled under the much bigger person's weight, managing after a few minutes to squirm his way to freedom and face his friendly attacker. A gleeful boy, 17 years of age with long hair and tanned skin.

"No . . . NO! SOMA, GET OUT!"

The older boy laughed. "Is that any way to treat a guest?"

"'Guest'?! Couldn't you have at least written first?! You are _not _staying here!"

"I apologize for coming on such short notice." said Agni who had remained at the door by Sebastian. "But, well, you know how my Master gets. Its good to see you again, my friend."

"And you, also, though it would seem that your visit may be short-lived." Sebastian looked back to the two young men before adding, "The Young Master and I have been rather busy as of late. Recent events have set us both back in our work drastically, so you'll have to excuse his lack of courtesy. I am positive he won't consent to your stay."

"That's a shame." said Agni. "The prince has been eagerly anticipating a visit to Master Ciel's regular residence. That aside, if we were to have stayed, I could have been of some assistance to you in the household work."

Agni's last comment made Sebastian think. Things had been extremely chaotic in the past week alone, even for someone like him. And if Agni were to stay he could not only assist him, but he also had an uncanny way of making the other servants useful, as well. That being the case, the household chores would get done quadrupled the current rate.

"I'll see if I can persuade him to allow a more prolonged visit."

Ciel had not stopped yelling at the prince (who was now playing keep-away with his cane) "Stop- Hey, give that back!"

"Ha Ha Ha! You're so short-EEK!" the Prince shrieked as his least favorite member of the Phantomhive household appeared behind him.

"Pardon me, if its not too much trouble I wish to speak to the Young Master privately."

"O-of course!" Soma replied quickly rushing over to Agni's side.

"Young Master, perhaps it would be best if you allowed them to stay."

"And why is that?"

"While it is true that Prince Soma can be a- . . . bit of a handful, having Mr. Agni around could have its benefits."

Ciel scoffed. "For you."

"That is true." The butler admitted. "But perhaps if he could help me with my work and possibly keep the others out of the way, I would have more time to aid the Young Master in fulfilling his obligations."

The boy glared at him. "If I wanted your help I could have just ordered you to assist me." Then really taking a moment to consider what Sebastian had said, he sighed. "Perhaps you are right, Sebastian."

Soma peeked out from behind Agni, asking cautiously, but hopefully "Does that mean we can stay?"

"Yeah." Ciel grumbled reluctantly. "But just remember that I'm-"

"WHOOPEE! This is wonderful! Let's go play in the garden, Little Ciel! Oh, but no, you must first teach me how to play chess! No, no! Take me on a tour of your mansion!"

Ciel groaned, already regretting his decision.

* * *

Present Day Japan, Ohtori Mansion

"So this is where Kyouya-sempai lives." said Haruhi Fujioka taking in her surroundings. She and the other five members of the host club were visiting their vice president's residence, the butler –or one of them - having had escorted them to the second floor living are of his home.

"Well it is for most of the year." said Hikaru plopping himself onto a couch.

His twin, Kaoru looked over at her. "Come to think of it, you've never been here before, have you Haruhi?"

"No, never." She replied. "Where is Kyouya-sempai, anyway?"

"One of his maids said he's taking a nap." said Hunny. "Ooh! Get me that one, Takashi!"

Mori nodded. He and Mitsukuni were by a bookcase browsing through titles, the one Hunny wanting being just out of his reach. He grabbed and handed it to him.

The boy smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

"Taking a nap? Does he even know we're here?" asked Haruhi.

The Hitachiins responded in unison. "We don't know. Milord's the one who invited us."

As if on cue, the flamboyant blonde dashed up to them, proudly holding up a disfigured piece of pottery that somewhat resembled a dog bowl. "Haruhi, Haruhi! What do you think of this coffee mug I made for Kyouya in a commoner's pottery shop?"

"Its very . . . Nice."

"See? It says "World's Greatest Mom" on the side! If you want, I could go back sometime and make one for you, too!"

"N-no, that's ok. Hey sempai, you told us to come, but does Kyouya-sempai even know we're here?"

"No, I thought we'd stop by and surprise him."

Haruhi sighed in exasperation. _This guy . . ._

Hunny and the twins exchanged worried glances. "So, Kyou-chan doesn't know we're here?"

"Nope."

"Hey, Milord, maybe it would be best if we left and just came back later." said Hikaru as he and his brother got up to leave.

"What? Why?"

"He's _napping_." said Kaoru, Hikaru adding, "And do you really want to be here when _he wakes up_?"

Tamaki and Haruhi gasped in horror. They had completely forgotten about the Low-Blood Pressure Demon's demeanor upon just waking.

Tamaki stuttered. "Y-y-your right, we need to get out of here! We have to plan an escape!"

He looked around frantically (for what, Haruhi was not sure) before pointing at Mitsukuni. "Hunny-sempai!"

"Yes, sir!"

"You're the smallest and therefore can travel undetected with ease, so you be surveillance! Sound the alarm if Kyouya shows up! Mori, you go with him, you be the muscle if things get ugly!"

Mori grunted. "Mm."

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Tamaki continued as the twins saluted him. "Look for all possible exits and plot an escape route for us!"

"We're on it!"

Haruhi thought now would be as good a time as any to point something out. "Umm . . . Wouldn't it just be easier if we left the way we came in?"

Tamaki finally turned to the girl with tears in his eyes. "Haruhi . . . DON'T WORRY, DADDY WILL PROTECT YOU!"

"Ergh! Sempai, get off of me!"

As the typical interaction between the two continued, the twins took off like identical tornados through the house along with Mori, to fulfill their mission. Little Hunny, however, had stayed behind completely engrossed in the book he was reading entitled "Cakes of the World."

"Look at all the ones from England!" he commented. "Don't they look yummy, Takashi?" When there was no response he looked up. "Takashi? Oh. He must have gone without me. I'd better go, too -but I really want to read this book."

He gazed down at it contemplating what he would do. "Well, I guess I could just ask Kyou-chan if I could borrow it later."

Hunny reached up and standing on his toes, attempted to put the book back. The place for it was just a couple of inches out of his reach so he climbed onto one of the lower shelves for further elevation, putting the book back where it belonged. He started to climb back down but lost his footing. Frantically, he grabbed for something- anything, to steady himself, though what his hand had managed to catch was another book, resulting in him merely pulling it off the shelf and falling to the floor. Fortunately, it wasn't a very long way to fall and he landed on his bottom.

"I guess I have to put this one back now, too- Hm? What's this?" he noticed that the book cover was completely blank and he opened it. Within was a hidden compartment and a small button in the center. Curiously, he pressed it. As he did so, the bookcase started to move, slowly sliding to the left side of the wall.

Hunny stared wide-eyed. "G-guys! Guys, come look at this!"

Haruhi stopped yelling at Tamaki and turned toward him, gawking at the hidden wonder. Even the latter mentioned had forgotten how upset he had been at his daughter's "out-right rebelliousness" looking upon the discovery. What had been concealed behind the book case was what appeared to be a large metallic wall with a keypad protruding through the center.

Both twins' heads popped up in the doorway, and Kaoru asked, "What's going on?"

Tamaki answered still in awe. "Hunny found some sort of . . . Secret door."

"I thought this kind of thing only existed in movies." Haruhi commented. "I wonder what's behind that wall."

"Well whatever it is there's a reason why its so well hidden." said Hikaru. "In which case, its probably something we shouldn't know about."

Kaoru looked at his brother. "And in which case . . ."

" . . .We wanna know." they said together.

"I want to see what's inside too!" said Hunny before adding gloomily, "But it looks like you need a password to get in."

At this point, Mori had arrived. Upon seeing the others gathered around the mysterious entrance, he wordlessly walked up to it and looked at his watch. Apparently satisfied with the time, he then proceeded to enter a series of numbers onto the keypad causing it to withdraw into the door. It was replaced by a hand-scanner which he placed one of his own on without hesitation. With a beep the scanner also pulled back into the wall which split and opened vertically in the center.

Still saying nothing, he walked through. The others were too shocked to do more than stare with eyes bigger than tennis balls and mouths agape.

"Wh-what just happened here?" asked Haruhi, mouth still hanging open.

"I don't know, but I think a better question is, _why are you here_?"

They all jumped upon hearing the new voice. "AAUGH, KYOUYA!"

"H-hey, Kyouya-sempai," greeted a nervous Kaoru. "We thought you were asleep."

"Is that why you decided to go snooping around my home?"

"N-no . . ."

"W-When did you wake up Kyou-chan?"

"About ten minutes ago, I couldn't sleep with all the racket that was being made (which, I'm assuming was caused by you five)."

Ten minutes. So he was dangerous, but not fatal. (But still very dangerous).

"Hey wait a minute, Kyouya!" Tamaki's fear was overshadowed by a sudden realization. "I'm always here, and you never told me about any sort of thing like _this_ being in your house!"

"There's a reason for that."

Tamaki gasped. "Its illegal, isn't it?! Your family is a part of some crime organization that threatens and blackmails key political figures, bending them to your will!"

"NO WE ARE NOT, AND IT ISN'T ANYTHING ILLEGAL!"

Kyouya shook his head and looked at his watch. "I'm assuming Mori-sempai's in there."

"Y-yeah, how'd you know?" asked Haruhi.

"Well, since you've already seen this much, I might as well show you." said Kyouya walking through the entrance, then turning around and adding with the dark and merciless power of the Demon Lord he was, "But if a word of this escapes your lips to any other living soul, you will pay dearly."

They exchanged nervous glances before following after.

"Secret Underground Ohtori Science Facilities?" asked Hunny when they had arrived to where the door lead to, a large laboratory filled with computer monitors, tables with beakers and test tubes, and large expensive-looking machinery.

"Sounds shady." Hikaru commented.

"You're one to talk. But yes, as you know my family is mainly in the medical industry, and has spent the last year setting up this lab for the sake of engineering its own medication. However, our scientists have also ventured into other branches of the field, as you can see."

Hunny looked over at his cousin who was wiping down various pieces of equipment. "So, Takashi knew about it the whole time?"

"Yes, Mori-sempai was here and assisting us when we were first building the lab, which is why he has clearance to enter."

"Look at all this stuff." said Kaoru. "What do you suppose that is?"

He pointed to a large container filled with some sort of liquid in which a small green figure – that greatly resembled a human, save for its large black eyes- was floating.

Haruhi eyed it suspiciously. "I wouldn't even ask."

"Hey guys, look at this! Its like a commoner's photo booth!"

Mori looked over at the machine Tamaki had been referring to and grunted. "Mm . . .Time Machine."

"Really?!" Tamaki asked. He had been right about its appearance. Except for the fact that it was the size of three small department store dressing rooms, the machine appeared to be modeled after an ordinary photo booth. "Its an _actual _time machine?!"

"Of course it is." said Kyouya. "Though its not quite finished, the engineers are still working on it. The boys all crowded into it, as Kyouya began to explain the functions of a few of the different controls on the front panel.

"Look, Takashi. This must be how you control where you go and during what time." said Hunny looking at a little computer monitor on the lower left hand side of the panel that displayed various countries and data on each one.

Mori read through the countries that were listed. "United Kingdom . . ."

Hunny smiled and touched the screen, selecting the country. "We learned about that last year in history class, remember? Where would you visit if you could?"

Kaoru sighed putting his hands behind his head. "This is getting boring."

Hikaru smirked. "Then let's make it more interesting." He leaned out of the time machine and grabbed Haruhi's -who had decided not to go in since it was too crowded- arm. "Hey, Haruhi, why don't you come inside and sit between me and Kaoru?"

"I'd rather not."

Kaoru looked over at Tamaki, immediately catching on. "Aw, come on! Are you worried that there's not enough space? Because you know, could always sit on one of our laps."

The provocation had worked. "N-no Haruhi, come and sit on daddy's lap, its much more practical." Tamaki leaned over Kyouya and the twins trying to get a hold of Haruhi.

"Watch what you're pressing!" Kyouya yelled, seeing that the boys were unintentionally hitting various controls with random limbs in their struggle.

The two cousins at the end were completely oblivious to their scuffle. "If I could, I would go visit England." said Hunny scrolling through the country's information. "They had really yummy desserts, even back in the Victorian Era!"

Haruhi continued to struggle against all three boys. "Cut it out! I don't want to go in there!" Not having the strength to resist all of them, she let go of the sides of the time machine that she was using to support herself, sending everyone flying backward into the vehicle. The twins fell back onto Kyouya -who voiced his disapproval of where their hands had ended up- and Haruhi onto them, while Tamaki had ended up knocking into Hunny causing the smaller boy to hit the "GO" switch at the bottom of the monitor he was playing with.

The machine roared to life.

When he had realized what was going on, Kyouya yelled, "NO! Tamaki hit that switch next to your left elbo-"

Too Late.

The last thing that anyone remembered was the engine's defeaning roar and a blinding flash of light.


	2. Chapter 2

"So after dinner let's do that thing with the flimsy swords we did last time!"

"You mean fencing. Soma-"

"Yeah! Or let's go to- oh, what's that thing called that you British are so fond of, with the singing fat women?"

"The opera. Soma-"

"Yes, yes, that! Or maybe we could go visit your Chinese friend!"

"SOMA!"

"Huh?"

"I can't be entertaining you; I have a lot of work to do!"

"Oh. Well you could have said something before getting my hopes up like that."

Ciel growled putting his head in his hands. This had been going on since yesterday afternoon, when they had arrived and had not yet ceased, even tonight while they ate.

"Young Master, arms off the table."

Ciel let his arms drop heavily onto the table, purposely spilling tea to spite his butler for the unjustified scolding. Sebastian, ignoring his master's childishness, smiled and asked, "Has the Young Master made any progress in his paperwork?"

"Hardly." He then looked up noticing Bard walking out of the kitchen and expecting whatever he had in his hand to be burnt beyond recognition, he smirked. "And you?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting." said Bard placing the food on the table. To his surprise, he could see that what Bard had cooked was not only edible, but looked delicious. Then seeing Agni walk out of the kitchen, he glared at Sebastian.

The butler merely smiled. "Oh, I'd say things are coming along."

"Hey, Ciel," Soma began to say when Sebastian had walked a considerable distance away. "How long do you think you'll be busy for, a couple of hours?"

"Longer."

"A day?"

"Longer."

"Aw, that's no fun!"

"Have patience my prince." said Agni. "When Master Ciel is through with his work, he will have time for you."

"But what am I supposed to do then, and with whom? Little Ciel is busy and I have consented to you aiding that- the butler for the duration of our stay."

Agni smiled reassuringly. "You'll find something. You never know what each day will bring."

Soma continued to complain, "If only something interesting would happen, just for once! Something out of the ordinary, but exciting! Something-"

_BCKCKCKCKCKCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH_

"Wh-what was that?!"

You just _had_ to say that!" Ciel turned to his butler. "Sebastian!" But he was already on his way outside to investigate the origins of the thunderous sound. Seeing this, the other servants, including Agni, followed suit.

"What the hell just happened?" Hikaru groaned lifting his head off the ground.

During the final minutes –and most turbulent part- of their little trip, they had all been thrown out of the time machine and into the middle of what was apparently a forest, but not before crashing into quite a few trees. All were lying on the ground, some just starting to regain consciousness, and the vehicle that had transported them there had tipped over and was seemingly broken.

Haruhi was the first to manage to stand up. "Where . . . Are we?"

Somewhat dazed, Kaoru looked around and said, "We actually traveled back in time."

He and Hikaru turned to Tamaki who was attempting to sit in an upright position. "Its your fault."

"Wha- _Me_?!"

"You're the one who knocked into Hunny-sempai."

"Yeah, but-"

"Knock it off. There's no use in arguing now, let's just hope nobody heard that terrible ruckus we made." said Kyouya. He looked over at the only member who was still lying on the forest floor. "Mori-sempai, are you alright?"

Mori answered by rolling over and grunting.

"Right now, we're in England." said the little one who had unintentionally set their course. "But I'm not exactly sure where it is in England we are."

"Hey over there! I see people!"

"Trespassers?"

"Uh-oh . . ." said Hunny.

Five people were running straight toward them. Three were fully grown men, and one was a female. It was rather hard to tell what the last was.

"Let's get out of here!" Tamaki said about to sprint.

"No." said Kyouya. "They've already spotted us and if we ran now, it would make us look more suspicious. Just stay put and let me-"

". . .Do the talking." Sebastian finished telling the others as they ran toward the strangers.

"Who do you think they are?" asked Maylene.

"I don't know, but from the looks of it, they're not from here." said Bard. "Hm, they hardly look like they're any older than you, Finnian."

"H-hey, you're right."

"Still, don't let your guard down." Agni advised.

They were now only a couple dozen yards away. Observing their behavior, Sebastian didn't seem to think they harbored any ill intentions. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were also injured. _How odd . . . Nevertheless, it is rather suspicious._

"Good evening." he greeted, now approaching them at a walk.

One of the taller boys with black hair and glasses responded. "Good evening."

"Pardon my meddling, but there was quite a racket being made out here. We were worried and came to investigate."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Would you happen to have seen what the cause might have been?"

"Can't say we have." It was technically true, none of them had been able to _see_ anything upon their arrival.

"Really?" Sebastian asked, still trying to feel the situation out. "It had been rather loud and seemed to be coming from this area."

The young man just stared at him expressionless, so Sebastian continued, trying to make his prodding sound conversational. "Your clothing is not of contemporary English style. Are you foreigners?"

The boy glared at him with intense onyx colored eyes. "Not to be rude, but I'd rather not reveal any sort of personal information to a complete stranger."

Sebastian smiled, chuckling to himself. "Not at all, in fact, I should be apologizing for my rudeness." With his right hand over his chest, he dipped down on one knee. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Earl of Phantomhive."

"Kyouya Ohtori." He introduced himself, then turning to his companions, "Now you're the ones being rude, go on, and introduce yourselves."

Taking his hint that revealing this much information was ok, they all took it in turn to say their names. After, Hikaru addressed the other servants with Sebastian, "And you are . . .?"

"Maylene the Phantomhive maid."

"Bard, the Earl's gourmet chef."

"Finnian, but you can call me Finny. Oh yeah! I'm the Phantomhive gardener, ha ha!"

"Ho ho ho."

"Hey, Mr. Tanaka! You decided to come, too?"

"Ho."

Hoping the other party's apparent ambassador was satisfied, Sebastian turned back to the task at hand. It was still necessary that he found their reason for being here. The Phantomhive mansion was in a rather secluded area, the nearest neighbors were miles away. If they had any business being here, it had to do with the Earl.

"So now that formal introductions are out of the way, you won't mind my asking why you're here. It is rather imperative that I inform my master of why such a large number of people are so close to his estate at this late hour."

Using their introductions to buy time, Kyouya was ready to improvise and responded. "Of course, you see-"

"We're from the future and three of these idiots sent us back in time in that machine."

Shocked, all seven of the host club members looked for the source of their exposure.

"Down here, morons."

"SHIRO?!"

"When did you get here?!" asked Haruhi.

"I've been following you guys all day. The stupid "King" forgot he was giving me piano lessons today."

Tamaki laughed in embarrassment.

"Whoa, you're from the future?!" asked Finny.

"You're a king?!" Maylene gasped.

The host club members didn't know what to say. Kyouya's alibi had just basically just been shot to hell. That aside, none of them could come up with a different story to contradict Shiro's blunt recount.

Bard scoffed. "I'm not buying any of this."

"Indeed. Who would believe such a foolish tale?" agreed Agni. "What should we do now, Sebastian?"

It really was a far-fetched story, but Sebastian had seen stranger things in his long life. Things that the humans accompanying him could hardly begin to perceive and he could see why the less naïve ones were doubtful. He, on the other hand, was more inclined to believe them. He couldn't imagine any possible reason for six young adults and two children to be out here unless they were with a hostile party. But why would anyone send so many that were so young, apparently unarmed, and to top it all off injured if that were the case? It didn't make sense. That aside, their clothing, footwear, hairstyles, and even their physical appearances were all blatantly foreign. One could argue that this could hardly be considered solid evidence, but the large and advanced looking contraption the small boy had brought to his attention was rather convincing.

"We shall escort them back to the mansion to further discuss the issue with the Young Master." He concluded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Ouran High School Host Club, Kuroshitsuji, or the characters and plots of both.**

"You don't think that maybe . . . Maybe they ran into trouble?" asked Soma nervously.

Ciel sighed, less than interested. "I don't know. They'd better hurry up and take care of whatever it is, though."

The two were seated in the living area where they had a good view of the garden and part of the surrounding forests from a nearby window. Despite his companion's blatant apathy, the young prince was worried. The servants had left the mansion almost an hour ago and still had not returned.

"What do you suppose that was?" the prince said, still anxiously looking out of the large window for any indication of their return.

"It doesn't really matter. Sebastian had better just get back here; my bath has yet to be drawn."

"And that it shall be," said a familiar voice from a hallway that lead to one of the mansion's back entrances. "Though first, I believe there are a few matters that require our immediate attention."

Even without Soma's shriek of terror, Ciel knew who it was. "Did you find the source of the noise, Sebastian?"

"I believe so."

"And, is the situation under control?"

"Not quite yet."

Before the young Earl could ask what he meant, Sebastian spoke again. "Guests, I would like to present to you my master, the Earl of Phantomhive."

Upon the mention of "guests" and hearing multiple footsteps in the hallway, Ciel rose from his chair angrily. "Sebastian, I-"

Before Ciel could say another word, Shiro jumped out from behind the crowd after getting a glimpse of the alleged "master".

"I can't speak for the rest of them, but do _I _look stupid to you?! He looks like he's my age; he can't be the master! What would some kid know about running his own household, anyway?! And what's wrong with his eye-"

"SHUT IT!" The twins tackled Shiro to the ground, making sure to get a good hold over his mouth. Even they knew this wasn't helping the situation.

Ciel looked somewhat smug now. "No, this isn't a joke. I am Ciel Phantomhive, head of this estate and owner of the Funtom Company."

The visitors were at a loss for words – and those who weren't either had the sense to keep their mouths shut or were restrained- after this introductory statement. There wasn't much they could say that wouldn't have been offensive in some way.

But the twelve year-old Noble spoke again, taking notice of something upon hearing Shiro speak.

"Your English is accented, you're foreign."

"Yes." Kyouya agreed. "English isn't our first language, but at our school we are being taught to speak it and are near fluent."

"Is that so? Where is it that you are from?"

Sebastian spoke before they could answer.

"Young Master, perhaps it would be best if we continued this discussion somewhere that would grant you and the guests more privacy."

Ciel looked around and noticed Sebastian's concern right away: six other pairs of ears.

"Very well."

"The dining room would serve as a sufficient place to discuss matters for a group of this capacity."

"Then why are you just standing here? The dining room hasn't been cleaned since you left. Take care of it, immediately." he ordered. "And while you're at it, make tea for me and these . . .Guests."

Sebastian bowed.

"Yes, my Lord."

Once the butler had gone about his business and most of everyone else's attention had wandered elsewhere, (though that was not completely necessary since most, if not none else present could speak Japanese) the time travelers began talking amongst themselves. They needed to come up with a consistent and sensible alibi before they had to speak with this apparent "master."

"So what should we tell them?" Tamaki asked.

"The truth of course." said Hikaru. "What else could we tell them at this point?"

"B-but time traveling isn't normal, and least of all in this century! Couldn't we be tried as witches or something for telling them that?!"

Kaoru backed his brother up. "I don't think that happened in this century, and if that was the case they saw the time machine and we're as good as dead anyway, so we might as well tell them the truth."

"Mm." Mori grunted. "Mitsukuni . . ."

The only female in the group looked around, noticing that Hunny was gone.

"He probably just went to the bathroom, Mori-sempai."

"Well, yes, they saw the time machine but no matter what they say or think, what really matters is what Earl Phantomhive believes." Kyouya said addressing the twins' claim. "And do you honestly think that he would believe us if we told him that we're from the future?"

Hikaru started to say something, but was cut short by the surprisingly quick reappearance of the first person who had spoken to them in this Era.

"Guests, if you'll please follow me."

"Look, I still say we tell them the truth." said Hikaru to Kyouya in a rather loud whisper.

"We'll see how things play out." was the quiet response. "I'm curious as to what this butler may have already told him."

Sebastian opened the door to the dining area.

"And then Tama-chan hit me and I pressed a button that sent us back in time. But its okay, it was only an accident."

"Hunny-sempai!"

"Hunny-sempai, you should have waited for us!" scolded Tamaki.

The smaller teen looked back at him with large, remorseful eyes that were beginning to water. "I'm sorry, I couldn't- I couldn't help but eat all the cake it was so good!"

"That is _not_ what we-"

"Never mind." Ciel sipped his tea. "He has already explained your situation to me, what's done is done."

Haruhi asked uncertainly "And do you . . . Believe us?"

"Believe it or not I have seen stranger things." the Young Master replied. "Though I cannot say that I am neither able nor willing to help you."

"Why not?!" asked the twins.

"Mainly, this is the last type of thing I want to be involved in. I will allow you to stay here this evening, and tomorrow I can give you some money as well as have Sebastian drive you to wherever you wish to go, but I will do no more."

The twins were about to object, but Kyouya stopped them.

"Thank you; we appreciate what you're doing nevertheless."

At this point Sebastian, who had not left his master's side since the start of their meeting, leaned down and spoke quietly to the boy.

"Young Master, though I am well aware of your position on taking in additional visitors, I believe it may be in your best interest to let them stay."

Ciel glared at him. "Trying to persuade me to take in strays again?"

"I don't ever recall asking you to allow me to adopt _human_ strays." he responded with a pleasant smile. "However, was I to transport them to a more populated area of London and just leave them as they are, word may get out that these rather eccentric foreigners were somehow tied to you. Needless to say it would look-

"Suspicious." Ciel finished. He thought about what Sebastian had said. Heaven knew what could happen if these odd foreigners were let loose on the streets of London. They probably knew nothing of English society and practices –at least at this point in time- and were they to do something to bring attention to themselves and the Phantomhive name happened to come up with whoever they spoke to . . .

He sighed. "You may stay for as long as you need to."

They were all relieved and the sensible ones thanked him. They wouldn't have known what to do had they been left in the middle of a different country in a different time.

"Eight more people in my house . . ."

The Young Master is kind."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go take care of them."

"Understood." he said, and then turned to the other eight. "If you will please follow me, I shall escort you to your rooms and have your wounds tended to. Though if you wouldn't mind, may I first ask if that gentleman standing in the dark corner will be staying as well?"

A dark figure cloaked in black stepped out of the shadows, appearing behind Tamaki.

"Good evening, Mr. Suou."

"BWAAAAAAAUUGGHH! N-Nekozawa!"

"I've been following you for a good part of the day, Mr. Suou." the young man with the cat hand-puppet smiled. "I'm glad that I've finally caught up to you."

"W-WHY?!"

"Here." Nekozawa said holding out a mechanical pencil with a small bear sitting on the top. "You let me borrow this the other day since I needed something to write with, remember?"

What Tamaki had actually remembered happening was Nekozawa appearing over his shoulder out of nowhere during an exam and he, Tamaki, being frightened had thrown his pencil at the him in self-defense and had run out of the room screaming.

"Oh. R-right."

"Ah, I sense something!" Nekozawa's attention abruptly wandering, his focus no longer on his reluctant idol. "Something dark, and morbid. . ."

He walked over to Sebastian.

" . . .About you."

Ciel turned to them interested, watching as his butler responded.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, its rather intriguing. . ." he said probing Sebastian.

"Well I'm glad I can be of some interest to you."

"Its practically emanating from you!" he continued. "No mere mortal should posses such dark power as strong as this it isn't human! What are you?"

"Simply," Sebastian smiled "One hell of a butler."

Shiro looked up at him and scoffed. "That's got to be the stupidest one-liner I ever heard."

_Author's Note: So, here it is! Thank you so much for reading Phantomhive Manor Panic, and I hope you continue to! This is actually based on banter between my cousin and I and some inside jokes between myself and a friend. Please review, I really appreciate feedback. I'd like to know how I'm doing not only with the storyline, but the actual writing itself if you have any suggestions or comments. Thanks again! _


	4. Chapter 4

In a realm beyond the only one known to exist by mankind, a man with glasses and long red hair stood in a room that greatly resembled a library, looking over a list.

A list containing the names of the unfortunate souls he would be visiting in the near future.

"Rodriguez Marisol, Spain. Millhouse Sarah, England. Gray Dorian, England- My, my! And such a handsome one you are! Maybe I'll visit you first- No! I should save the best for last . . ."

"Grell Sutcliffe."

He turned to address the one who had called him. "Oh. William. I was just looking over this week's quota."

"Yes, I see." To William, it looked more like the death god was sorting through the list and picking out the men he found most appealing; their pictures were in a separate pile from the other humans he would be seeing. Not a good sign, but not violating the set laws they were to follow as soul reapers . . . Yet. In any case, that wasn't why he had sought him out. "England is one of them, if I have heard correctly."

"Yeah, all of my stops will be in Europe this time around but there are 10 or more individuals I have to go see in each country on this list."

"Well you may want to make England your last stop because I'll need you to assess a certain situation while you are in that particular area."

Knowing that Grell was about to ask, William continued with his explanation just as the other man opened his mouth. "Something rather peculiar has happened in London and though the matter does not directly affect our kind, I would like someone (namely, you) to do a bit of investigating. If there is a chance that this occurrence could raise the death toll unnecessarily, by nature's law it would be our obligation to . . . Interfere

"But why do _I_ have to do it?!" Grell asked his words half a question, half a complaint. "I already have so much to do and with so little to work with!"

He snipped at the air with his two pairs of scissors to emphasize his point.

"The limit on your resources is due to your own foolishness and lapse in judgment and does not have any effect on the status of the assignment I have given you. Go meet Julie out front before you leave. She will fill you in on the details and have a contract ready to be signed that has been specifically made for this assignment and specifically made for _you_."

"Have a heart!" he complained repeating his earlier statement. "Ten or more in each country I have to stop at!"

"You'll cope. That aside, I believe you're position on the matter will change once you have been sufficiently filled in on the details before your departure."


	5. Chapter 5

**Phantomhive Manor Panic Chapter 5**

_A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading this series, and thank you especially for your reviews! I really appreciate the support and feedback (even if that's not what you meant for it to be, hehe). _

_Just a few things. First, I know the last chapter was relatively short compared to the first three chapters. Originally it was supposed to be combined with what is now chapter five but I didn't see how that would work out. Also, for those of you who have been messaging me I'm really sorry I haven't responded. I'm not ignoring you but I am actually unable to get into at the moment and if this goes up, its because I had someone else I know post it for me, or I managed to somehow get onto the internet from someone else's computer. And just to let you know, characters from the Kuroshitsuji anime will appear throughout this series._

_With that said, I want to let you know that I don't plan to stop writing for this anytime soon being that I have quite a few of the next chapters already planned out. The thing is, I'm busy and don't have a whole lot of time to update As for the things you guys recommended for the story, you know, true fans must think alike because my friend and I already considered all of those things in the planning process before this story was even posted, haha! Thanks again! And don't worry, we have some pretty cool ideas for upcoming chapters!_

**Disclaimer:** The author of this fanfiction does not own Kuroshitsuji, The Ouran High School Host Club nor the characters featured in the series from the original manga/anime.

They had all awoken the next morning when the butler had come to call on them. Kyouya had suggested the evening prior that they share rooms as to be less of a burden. Ciel, seeing another opportunity to give Sebastian an extra workload just for kicks, had insisted that they spread out and make themselves comfortable, but most in the host club had insisted upon sleeping in pairs for the same reasons Kyouya had suggested if not for their own.

Nobody had wanted to be Kyouya's roommate for obvious reasons, and Shiro had insisted upon getting his own room. Haruhi not having had the opportunity to change out of her uniform after school that day - having had been dragged off by the other host club boys - was not dressed in typical female attire. Knowing that cross-dressing and things of the like were typically frowned upon during this time period, they had not told anyone else in the manor that she was actually a female. The twins had kindly suggested that she stay with them while Tamaki cordially insisted that since the twins would already be sharing a room, it would be best that Haruhi stayed with him instead. When this had finally ended (which it eventually did though it felt like it never would), they had made up an excuse, saying she was sick and highly contagious so that she wouldn't need to share with the opposite sex.

Hunny and Mori also decided to share a room which had caused some concern for Haruhi.

"But Mori sempai, doesn't Hunny-sempai wakes up in the same condition as Kyouya?"

The older boy had simply patted her on the head before following his cousin into a room.

"I'll be fine." He said with a small smile as he closed the door.

With everyone else having had made their room and roommate adjustments, only one pair had been left over.

"Looks like its just you and me, Mr. Suou."

Tamaki shrieked leaping halfway down the hall when the boy cloaked in black had appeared behind him.

"Uh-uh-uh-N-n-no, that's okay – I'll j-just try to squeeze in with someone else who doesn't have a room. R-Right guys?" Tamaki had stuttered to the sound of three doors slamming simultaneously.

"Just get in there!" the twins said bursting out of their room before grabbing the host club president and catapulting him into the remaining vacant room the group was allotted.

It need not be said that Tamaki did not sleep well that night. So it was no surprise to see the deep, dark, circles which nobody - the twins, especially - had failed to notice at the dining room table the following morning.

"So, what are we going to do today?" asked Prince Soma, delighted that more guests were staying at the manor.

Hunny, between large bites of various pastries responded. "What is there to do?"

"We could go into town." Soma suggested. "It would be much more interesting than hanging around here all day."

"Forgive me, your highness," Kyouya began to say (as Tamaki grumbled about never getting that kind of respect from anyone) "but that may not be the best option at this moment considering that we are not appropriately dressed for any such occasion."

"He's right." Ciel said. "Now that you mention it though, my butler should be on his way to town and will be taking your measurements to the tailor's today to have clothing made for you while he runs his errands."

"You mean he's going to be out all day?" asked Soma somewhat hopefully.

"That appears to be the case, my prince." said Agni as he poured the boy more tea. "I am to help perform the household duties while he is away. And from what I understand, one of the other servants will be giving the guests a tour of the Estate today."

"Yes," Ciel agreed. "That is what Sebastian told me as well."

"Some host." Shiro mumbled throwing Ciel a side glance.

Tamaki elbowed the younger boy. "Shut it!"

"No, he's right" said Ciel rather indifferently. "I should apologize for not being more of a proper host; however I have a multitude of my own duties to tend to."

"That's okay! We understand." said Hunny. "It must not be easy to be the head of your own Estate and company. Right, Takashi?"

"Mm." the older boy grunted.

"Well in any case my cook, Bardroy, will come to call on you after breakfast."

"Thank you, we appreciate what you're doing for us immensely." said Kyouya.

"Yeah sounds great, Earl, but we have a question . . ." Hikaru said as he and his brother pointed toward a window.

". . .Why is there a naked man in your yard?" they asked pointing at a white-haired figure who was scratching at the glass and howling; begging to be let in.

As the others who had never seen this peculiar sight before began to stir, Hunny's attention was no longer directed toward the delicious treats laid before him, and noticing something for the first time that morning he asked,

"Hey, where's Haru-chan?"

--

-

--

"Mr. Fujioka," Sebastian said with a pleasant smile, opening the carriage door. "Right this way if you'd please."

"Thanks." Haruhi replied hopping out of the carriage. "Where are we?"

Sebastian explained. "Downtown London, sir, near the tailor's shop. As you know, I have a couple of errands to run today and this will be our first stop."

Haruhi looked around observing the bustling and crowded streets.

"That is, if you are still up for it." He added.

"Yeah." Said Haruhi. "I mean, we've come this far already so there wouldn't really be any sense in turning back."

"Really, sir. I assure you it would not be any trouble at all if you wish to return to the manor."

"That's not true or you wouldn't have been in such a rush to get here." Haruhi stated bluntly.

Sebastian threw a glance out of the corner of his eye, wondering if they had caught anyone's attention. At the time, it hadn't seemed like such a bad idea to bring the boy along, but now, he was not so sure.

That morning when he had gone to awaken the household, he had realized that Fujioka was no longer in his room when he had knocked on the door and there had been no response. Sebastian's old suspicions of a hostile party had risen again, and, asking Finny to watch the door – which he did diligently, as well as literally – just in case, he proceeded to search the Estate for the missing houseguest.

Sebastian had found the boy rather quickly. Wandering the main road, Fujioka was lost and a considerable distance away from the manor. Not wanting to arouse suspicion himself being that he had found Haruhi through physical capabilities beyond human capacity, and not wanting to run behind schedule, the butler had decided that the best option would be to fetch the carriage and get started on his trek into urban London, catching up with the youth on the way.

"I'm sorry, did you come all the way out here looking for me?" Haruhi had asked after explaining that she had gotten lost after going back into the forest to look for her wallet.

"No, sir," said Sebastian. "I was in fact, on my way to town. I have a few errands to run as well as some business that I need to see to on behalf of the Young Master."

"I see."

"Well then," said the butler getting down from his spot in the driver's position and opening the door to the carriage. "I suppose we should be getting you back to the manor."

"I could just go with you."

"Ah, but, sir, that really would not do. You are not properly dressed in English attire. Even then, this excursion is not one of leisure and would hardly be enjoyable for you."

Haruhi looked at him. "But that would put you pretty behind schedule wouldn't it?"

Sebastian stared. Had he managed to let his irritation show? He doubted it. So the boy must be testing him. As he quickly thought of a way to respond, Fujioka continued to say,

"I mean, it's my fault for having had gotten lost in the first place and you seem to have a lot to do today. I don't really know what it's like to be a butler, but who knows, maybe I could be of some help to you."

Sebastian had tried to find a way to convince the houseguest that going back would be the better option without outright saying he would be more of a burden than anything else. At that point though, he really would not have minded taking the boy with him if it meant staying on schedule, and in the end, had decided to take him along, convincing himself that there were ways of keeping the lad inconspicuous.

Now though, being in town and contrasting the dull browns, blacks, and grays of suits to Fujioka's twenty-first century style button-down dress shirt and tie, he wasn't so sure.

"I really don't mind going." Haruhi continuing her line of reasoning.

Sebastian pulled the small clock out of his coat. Sighing after looking at it, he turned to Haruhi with a smile.

"Well then Mr. Fujioka, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

"So this is is Eighteenth century London." Haruhi mused as she took everything in, tailing after the butler as they moved through the bustling streets.

"Yes." replied the butler who was a few paces ahead of her. They had just dropped the Phantomhive guest's measurements off at the tailor's and were headed towards a busier, slightly more crowded area of downtown London. "Again, I apologize that there won't be much time for touring today, but seeing as this isn't a leisurely outing . . ."

"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who's intruding." said Haruhi. "Where are we headed now?"

"Our next stop is one of the Funtom Company's toy shops."

"_Funtom,'_ I've heard that name before somewhere else." Haruhi said, then upon realizing where she had, added, "Oh! That's right. My European History class in middle school. Funtom was the leading name in children's toys and confections during this time."

"That is correct." responded the butler pleasantly. "We were previously named such in England, but have expanded throughout the rest of Europe within the past couple of years."

"I would hope so. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through, after all."

Sebastian smiled. "Admittedly, it hasn't always been easy, but the Young Master does an admirable job of keeping the company afloat and thriving. It's been strenuous to say the least, but as I'm sure the Young Master would tell you, also very rewarding."

"He must be lonely."

Not expecting this to be his companion's response, he glanced down at the young adult who was now at his side.

"I mean, that's how I felt when I was his age. I lost my mother as a child, and it's been just my dad and me since I was eight. I had to take on a lot of the household responsibilities since my dad would always work late. For him to lose _both _his parents, and run his own estate and company at his age? I know I never could have done it, if I were in his shoes."

"But I guess that's where you come in, huh?" She looked up at the butler and smiled. "I'm sure it really helps that you, Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin are around."

Sebastian blinked. There was something amiss about this particular boy. He could sense it. It was evident alone in the difference of general demeanor he displayed in comparison to his other futuristic companions.

The others carried themselves with a certain air of dignity and confidence -bordering self-importance or arrogance - that was characteristic of many of an affluent lineage. That, in junction with the fact that they seemingly held no qualms about being waited on hand and foot, and felt no obligation to offer help in someone else's home, left no doubt in his mind that these young men were of noble blood.

This youth, on the other hand, was considerably the opposite of the others. Always taking into account the troubles others had to go through and willingly volunteering his own time to be of service, were a couple of the telling traits that suggested he was of the working class. The story of his past only confirmed the notion. Even with a single parent, being the heir of a household would have ensured his security, and the aforementioned hardships he described - save for the emotional aspects - wouldn't have been as trying. Still, the other young men seemed to treat this one as an equal rather than a servant, which would also suggest either that in the future, the lines between social classes would be slightly more obscure or - knowing how humans can be - more likely, this young man wasn't hired help or there to look after the other six.

Aside from these deductions, the butler knew there was still something else about the boy that was different . . .

"Is this it?" asked Haruhi as they came upon a shop with a large, glass window full of toys. Haruhi glanced into the shop's display window, smiling when she saw the soft, plush, Peter Rabbit sitting on a rocking chair. "Aww, how cute. Hunny-senpai would love this. Do you think we could bring him the next time you come back into town?"

"Yes, of course."

. . . Very different.

"Right this way, if you'd please." Sebastian held the door open for the 18th century tourist, glaring slightly after her as she walked in. No, these boys didn't appear to be a threat, but they certainly were hiding something. This adolescent's "deadly-and-tragically-devastating-not-to-mention-highly-contagious" ailment that the tall blonde one had mentioned was obviously non-existent seeing as he was in perfect health, in junction with how anxious and wary they - namely, Masters Tamaki, Kaoru, and Hikaru - were when anyone got too close to Haruhi attested to the fact that there was much more these guests weren't being forthcoming about, and more specifically, there was something these guests were hiding in regards to this boy.

In the Young Master's true line of work, any questionable activity could be considered a perceived threat. As a butler of Phantomhive, it was his duty to look after and protect the household, and he was intent on figuring out what exactly these boys were trying to hide by end of the day, and before they returned home.

At any and all costs.

With that last thought in mind, he followed her in, maintaining his usual proper, but relaxed demeanor.

Across the street, in an alleyway that was almost completely obscured from view, two men watched them enter the shop. They, too, stood in front of a business establishment, although one much more dreary, and foreboding compared to that of a toy store. Swirls of cloudy, white smoke rose into the air from the elongated pipe that one held, as they took note of the two walking into the Funtom Company's shop. The tall man ensconced in a black trenchcoat was a familiar sight to behold; unmistakably recognizable as the infamous Ciel Phantomhive's butler. Yet, his companion was certainly not the young adult they were accustomed to seeing him with.

One let out a low, eerie chuckle.

"_How interesting . . ."_

The other who had been smoking merely drew the hilt of his recreational instrument away from his lips, a smirk spread lightly across his mouth.

"Hm. It certainly is. Perhaps it's about time I paid the young Earl a visit."

* * *

**A/N: **_Alright guys, I realize that this isn't as long as the majority of the other chapters are. Originally, it was supposed to be longer, and this is actually only makes up one segment of three that was supposed to comrpise the entire thing. Still, I felt that you waited long enough, so I wanted to update ASAP! The next chapter is already half completed (considering that it's actually the rest of what was supposed to be in this chapter), and so it will be up soon, I swear. I have a few things that I need to get done within the next few days, but after that, I WILL have more time to write._

_That being said, thank you so much for sticking with this story, and for all your reviews and criticisms. One thing I did want to address though, is the whole thing about how Sebastian should have known the whole time that Haruhi is a girl. The idea for the 18th century crew discovering Haruhi's true gender was actually one of the earliest concepts discussed between myself and mah homies on da street (aka my cousin and my bestfriend) who help me to come up with/inspired all this insanity. Initially, I felt that it was completely obvious that Sebastian would have known the entire time, but it was my friend who pointed out that there are times throughout the series where people (usually Ciel) tend to surprise him. After thinking about it, and going through the manga and anime to analyze his interactions with those around him, I realized that she was right. Throughout the series, be it the manga or anime (usually the manga, though) there are times in which Sebastian is taken by surprise by someone or by a situation (though to his credit, he recovers from it in the blink of an eye). That being noted, Kuro, though there's a lot of adventure and action, does have a touch of mystery, and part of what keeps audiences on the edge of their seats is trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together along with the Queen's dog and his butler. And though Sebastian is supernaturally powerful, and always "ahead of the game," so to speak, he's not omniscient. If he were, there really wouldn't be much of a story for Yana Toboso to work with._

_But, meh. That's just the reasoning behind how we decided to run with it, anyway._

_ I'm sorry if it sucks, but I haven't been writing and I'm rusty, and truth be told, this chapter has been in the works for about a year now. I wrote for it on and off, lost each draft, but remembered the main points and concepts and had to basically re-write it repeatedly so much so that I lost inspiration for it. But now I'm back on track, and as short as it is, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there will be more to follow shortly, I promise! Your feedback is always appreciated!_

_ .know._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **_The author owns only the storyline of this fictional work, taking credit for neither the Ouran High School Host Club, The Black Butler, or any of the characters affiliated with either series. _

**Title: **_Phantomhive Manor Panic_  
**Pairings:** **_NONE_**

**Please read before starting the chapter.**

**(A/N): **_Alrighty, here it is! Chapter seven. Once again, thank you for all of your reviews, and critiques. Couple of things I want to address this time _before _the start of the chapter._

_Someone did mention that in the last chapter that my gender-related nouns got a little confusing in reference to Haruhi. For that I apologize. That was something I actually caught myself having to correct a couple of times as I edited my rough draft, but it would seem that a few still made their way into the final. When I have time, I'll go look through that again._

_Also, a couple of people have mentioned that they had some issues with both Nekozawa's and Shiro's presence because of either a lack of realism/believability to their appearance in the story, or because they don't feel very plot-relevant. Umm . . .slightly confused as to how they don't seem plot-relevant when I haven't really established where this is all going yet - and, again, I apologize for that because I know it shouldn't take this long establish a storyline - but I would like to touch on this, and before the story begins because I'm letting you know now that this sort of thing happens again, and may also happen a few more times._

_So, the way I see it, in creating an Ouran/Kuro crossover, it's not only important to bring a set of characters together, and create believable interactions between them (while keeping them in-character), it's also important to find a way to balance and bring in the same themes, and "feel" to both stories, as well. While Kuroshitsuji has a tendency to be historically-based, and move in a logical, and chronological order, and though this story takes place in Kuro's setting, the thing is, Ouran is very different from this series in that respect. While the humor is generally the same, there are a lot of ways in which these two stories differ, one of which is that not everything in Ouran makes sense. It's silly, and playful. High-power motors and bananas appear at random, characters pop-up out of nowhere all the time, Hosts dance like the Backstreet Boys in front of a backdrop of roses as they passionately rant - it's silly, it's whimsical, and by bringing in these character in the most over-the-top fashion, that's the "feel" of Ouran that I'm trying to bring into a Kuro-setting in attempting to crossover themes._

_As for them not really being plot-relevant, well, in a lot of ways (very subtle ways, but still a lot) these characters have helped to propel this story forward through their interactions with the other characters. I'd rather not spoil it right now and say where this story is going and who will play what role, but the thing is, all of that aside, I don't feel that everything in a story always needs to be relevant to the main storyline. As both a reader and semi-writer, something I noticed is that if someone tries to make every little detail relevant to the plot, the reader (consciously or not) will pick up on the pattern and it will either become a tedious read, or they will be able to see prematurely where you're taking the story. Even then, sometimes, it's the little details that deviate from the point that help to give it a little something extra._

_Anyway, sorry. I know this is a really long author's note. I'm not trying to argue with anyone, though. I'm just trying to justify why I wrote this story the way I did. Just to let you know, I maybe starting another fanfic for a different fandom. If and when this happens, I'm just to let you know ahead of time, I AM NOT giving up on this story. Not after how much drafting I've done, and not after seven chapters! If anything, I'll be writing the two concurrently._

_Alright. Rambling. Sorry. Enjoy._

* * *

"A 'Host Club?'" Ciel repeated the title he had just been told.

"Yeah." Hikaru confirmed. "It's kind of what we call ourselves."

"But it's not primarily what we do. It's more of an extracurricular, or side-activity. We're still in schooling. Tamaki is our club's President. He came up with the idea while we were still in our early adolescent years of education, and officially founded it the following year in our upper levels of instruction." Kyouya added, purposely leaving out the terms "middle school" and "high school" to simplify his explanation.

"I see. But speaking of Mr. Suou . . ." Ciel's gaze traveled to the far corner of the Earl's expansive living area, where the subject in question was crouched down in a fetal position, facing the wall. "What's going on? Is he ill?"

"Yeah, no. Don't worry about it. This is typical." said Hikaru. His brother adding shortly after, "just ignore him. That's how we cope."

"Tama-chan is just sad that Haru-chan's not here." Hunny explained from his seat next to Mori.

"Yeah." the much taller boy assented.

Seemingly not paying them any attention, Tamaki mumbled to himself. "Haruhi . . ."

"Oh, that." said Ciel. "I assure you, he's fine. My butler is more than capable of looking out for his well-being."

"_Indeed, Mr. Suou._" Nekozawa affirmed, suddenly appearing behind Tamaki, and earning a shriek of terror from his idol. "_Do not underestimate the power of the supernatural, and that of which the dark forces possess. It would not be in your best interest to do so, you see _. . ."

"Yes . . .well," Ciel blinked, slightly perplexed by the over-the-top display in the opposite corner of the room that only provided a small glimpse of what the majority of the day had been like thus far. He turned to Kyouya. "Tell me more about this host club of yours. Is it a lucrative business? You don't strike me as the type to pursue an endeavor without the promise of some sort of gain."

"We actually do render our services free of charge, however, we do profit from the additional merchandise we either sell or auction off." Was Kyouya's response. "Although, most of the additional funding does go to financing club activities."

"And what of the net profit?"

Kyoya just looked at the young Earl smiling, but before the Young Master could voice that he expected an answer, Soma cut in.

"But I still do not understand." The prince said. "What is it exactly that you do in this group?"

Directing his polite smile to Soma, Kyouya responded, "I think it would be best if our President explained that to you himself, your majesty. Tamaki?"

"You never call _me_ that."

"That's because you're not actually royalty. Now, don't be rude to your host or to Prince Soma."

"Yeah, milord. Isn't it your "duty" as host club king to explain what we're all about in the first place?" The twins said baiting him, as Shiro rolled his eyes knowing what was soon to follow.

Tamaki stood up slowly. "You're right."

With more conviction, he turned around sharply.

"**YES, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!"**

He pointed right at Ciel who looked more than a little alarmed.

Suddenly overcome with emotion for reasons no one else understood, the self-proclaimed "king" started to move about the room in a flamboyant display of what could have been a well-choreographed dance, as he began his explanation. "Yes! We are the Ouran High School Host Club! The school's most elite, and handsomest boys (with way too much time on their hands) who are dedicated to entertaining and fulfilling the fantasies and wishes of young ladies (who also have way too much time on their hands)!"

Prancing straight up to Ciel with his face angled, and his pointer finger erected next to his chin, Tamaki struck the pose that he so often did when he meant business."Each member of the host club was carefully hand-selected by me, the king, to represent a specific type of man that would capture a lady's heart!"

Tamaki began to gesture around the room.

"The cool type!"

"The Boy-Lolita!"

"Aha! That's me! Hahahahaha!"

"The mischievous type, also doubling in the forbidden brotherly-love act!"

"At your service."

"The strong, silent type!"

Mori nodded.

"And last but certainly not least, _me._ The princely-type!"

"Don't forget me!" Shiro practically shouted.

"Oh, right." Tamaki nodded. "Let's not forget our honorary grade school host: the Naughty-Lolita!"

"Huh? But wait, isn't that what you just called the other boy?" asked Finny who had a bag of fertilizer slung over his shoulder. The servants had gotten caught up in the conversation amidst their housework.

"Yeah." Bard agreed, " 'Lolita', or whatever? Sounds kinda boring to have two of the same thing."

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!"

The floor began to shake with violent tremors shortly after a high-pitched female voice echoed throughout the manor.

Soma shrieked, as Ciel yelled out, "Wh- what's going on here?!"

Tamaki looked over at his vice president. "Kyouya? Tell me that's not - "

"_Ua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha . . ._"

A young girl emerged from below the manor atop a large, metal platform which continued to rise, twisting out of the living room floor.

"_Renge_?!"

"How the hell -?"

"WHERE THE DEVIL ARE YOU PEOPLE ALL COMING FROM?!"

"I didn't do it! We didn't do it! . . . For once! Make sure he knows it, make sure Sebastian knows it!"

"R-Renge, how did you get here?" Tamaki asked, suddenly weary but by no means surprised.

"Same way I usually get around." Was the nonchalant reply. "Besides, you all know I live in France, which really isn't that far away. Geographically speaking, it's much closer than Japan."

Even the twins were slightly taken aback. "Well, yeah, but then there's the whole space-time issu -"

"Anyway, back to why I'm here! While the Boy-Lolita is generally an all-encompassing type that refers to a young-looking boy, or a male who looks younger than he actually is, there are various subcategories that fall under it. Take these two here. . ." Renge pointed between Hunny and Shiro. ". . . for example. Hunny-sempai embodies the Boy-Lolita in its most archetypical and base form. He's the oldest in the group, but he both looks and acts much younger than he actually is. Shiro on the other hand, fits the loli-description in terms of just looks, but adds a bit more flare to his style by spicing it up with his attitude! I JUST LOVE IT!"

Still somewhat bewildered, Ciel stared at the girl. "Fantastic. Now, care to explain _who _you are, or at the very least how you ended up here - "

Renge practically shrieked with joy upon seeing the young boy. "Y-you! You're- you're . . . YOU'RE JUST THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER . . ."

Soma turned to Tamaki, as Renge started her new bout. " 'Princely-type,' you say? That's funny. You don't seem very much like a prince. And I would know."

"W-What?!"

"And what makes you think _you _know what it means to be prince-like?!"

"Simple. I am one."

The twins laughed.

"Knock it off, you two! Just because he _is _a prince, doesn't necessarily mean . . ."

Ciel sighed, tuning her out- tuning them all out as he rubbed his temples with one hand. There was much- too much, going on at the moment, both in his work, and in his home, and these guests with their capricious, aimlessly random, and downright chaotic tendencies were far from helping matters.

"Master Ciel." The young Earl looked up, to find Agni standing over him. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but your mail is in."

He sighed. "Yes. Please take it up to my office."

"Yes, sir."

As Agni walked away, Ciel caught a glimpse of one of the envelopes, and his eyes narrowed slightly. After these past few years, he recognized that type of paper, that print, and that seal easily, despite the fact that the name was an alias.

It was a summons from the Queen.

"Ah. It's starting to rain." Haruhi held up her hand to feel the light prickle of the water droplets falling from the darkened clouds hanging above the city.

"This way, Mr. Fujioka."

As the rain started to pour more heavily onto the street, Sebastian motioned for her to follow him under an overhang of the nearest building, their footsteps barely audible against the increasing downpour.

"Please wait here, sir." Sebastian looked back at the young host beside him. "I will fetch the carriage and bring it around to you. Hopefully by the time I come back, this will have cleared up."

"Why can't I just go with you?"

Sebastian blinked, not accustomed to being questioned on his considerate gestures. Smiling, though, he responded."So that you don't have to walk out into the rain. We wouldn't want you catching cold so soon after you after your _rapid_ recovery from your last ailment, now would we?"

Haruhi glanced down the street in the direction they had come, a sheet of rain now inhibiting her view. "There's no need to fuss over me. Home is in the opposite direction from where we are now, isn't it? It'd be a waste of time for you to come all the way back when I could just walk with you." Walking over towards him, she reached out to the groceries he cradled in his arms. "And I can help you carry those, you know."

There it was again.

That sincere consideration.

Though he'd begun to have his suspicions about their purpose, Sebastian could detect no malicious intent or ill-will being harbored by any of the young men. But even then, this thoughtfulness spanned beyond that of his companion's happy-go-lucky good-naturedness. About to kindly insist otherwise, Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but a soft, timid, utterance stopped him.

"Mew."

He looked up to the source of the noise. A young stray cat that had wandered into the street to greet them. The creature stood up, gazing at them curiously with striking green eyes that contrasted it's matted-down and soaked snowy-white fur. It mewled again, and Haruhi started towards it, breaking Sebastian from his admiration-inspired reverie.

"Hey, little guy. Aww, you're getting all wet."

Sebastian observed quietly as his companion approached the animal. Upon reaching the cat, Haruhi gently picked it up and brought it back under the overhang. The young host took off the light-blue blazer he had been wearing and started to dry the cat with whatever dry patches were left on the clothing, speaking to it in light, cheerful tones all the while.

After watching the brief exchange, Sebastian's eyes widened slightly.

There it was. The kindness, the quiet thoughtfulness, the light, sweet laughter, and a gentle smile that radiated warmth and sincerity.

The missing piece.

Looking over the cat's savior, he took note of Haruhi's white, completely soaked-through dress shirt, and this only helped to affirm what he was already aware of. Sebastian closed his eyes, an amused smile playing across his face as he removed his own trench coat and moved towards them.

Haruhi laughed, as the cat purred and butted its head against the hand she offered. Not having had heard anyone advance, she was surprised when she felt a gentle weight fall on her shoulders, warming her, and unbeknownst to the girl, helping to maintain her modesty. She looked up, meeting the gaze of one Sebastian Michaelis.

"It appears the rain is starting to let up. And as much as it pains me to part with such an elegant creature, I'm afraid it's getting late and we ought to start for home. Shall we, _ Miss_ Fujioka?"


End file.
